I'm Not So Sure About Foursquare's 'Most Popular Tastes' Map.
So, Foursquare did some map of 'signature' foods by state.
And I don't think some of these are correct.
Some observations, in no particular order, just as they come to me:
1) How is Neapolitan Pizza not the most popular food in NY and Connecticut? That foldy-thin pizza is like their whole thing.
2) Nevada ... we have to have a talk about food. "Bottle Service," tsk-tsk.
3) I'll give Vermont a pass, since everyone in the eastern region of the US knows their Maple Syrup is a big deal. Not really a food, but whatevs. After all, they stated 'favorite tastes,' so that's Foursquare's out here in an argument.
4) I know from travel to Wyoming for a wedding last year that Huckleberry is a big deal in Jackson. I guess it's a big deal in Montana as well.
5) Michigan, my state of origin, makes some sense. Perch is pretty ubiquitous around these parts. I just don't much care for it, since there are many different seafood dishes far more tasty than Perch.
6) Via Sploid's write-up of this Foursquare curiosity ... I laughed at how many people from Indiana have no idea what Lemon Rice Soup is. I have had that soup hundreds of times, because Detroit is pretty populous for Greeks and Arabs. And Detroit is the Arab capital of North America. And Greek and Arab food is very common to find around here ... there's at least one joint that serves such food on every major street throughout the metro Detroit area, it's that common, like as common as a Starbucks or McDonald's. And having lived here forever and a day, you come to find that both Greek and Arab cuisine are like first cousins for closeness. You'll find a lot of very similar offerings between them, stuff like Grape Leaves, which I love, are both claimed by each culture.
7) Catfish is most definitely correct for Arkansas. I fucking love Catfish. It's so unhealthy ... most bottom-feeders among seafood are, due to pollution, and the likelihood of high concentrations of Mercury within them. But whatever, southern US fried Catfish is the bomb. It's worth the risk!
8) Crab Cakes for Maryland is also on-point. I absolutely loved them when I visited Maryland for a month. Would order them from pretty much any sit-down restaurant ... they all had 'em on the menu. And I'd wash it down with America's best regional macro-beer, Yuengling, from Pennsylvania.
9) My buddy dadxer reports that Conch Fritters are pretty good. I wish I had tried some while I was down in Florida for another wedding. He claims Conch Fritters are mainly a southern Florida thing, but apparently they're the bomb all through the state.
10) I'm actually kind of surprised that Pierogies are listed for Ohio. Michigan and Wisconsin have big Polish-American populations ... Detroit has a sub-city called Hamtramck that is the Polishtown of the region. And I've had tons of Pierogies over the years, as my grandmother and her side of the family were Polish-American.
So yeah, there are some spot-on listings, and there are also some surprises and curiosities on this list.
Is there anything you noticed that was right-on, or all-the-way-wrong, or just WTF?
And I don't think some of these are correct.
Some observations, in no particular order, just as they come to me:
1) How is Neapolitan Pizza not the most popular food in NY and Connecticut? That foldy-thin pizza is like their whole thing.
2) Nevada ... we have to have a talk about food. "Bottle Service," tsk-tsk.
3) I'll give Vermont a pass, since everyone in the eastern region of the US knows their Maple Syrup is a big deal. Not really a food, but whatevs. After all, they stated 'favorite tastes,' so that's Foursquare's out here in an argument.
4) I know from travel to Wyoming for a wedding last year that Huckleberry is a big deal in Jackson. I guess it's a big deal in Montana as well.
5) Michigan, my state of origin, makes some sense. Perch is pretty ubiquitous around these parts. I just don't much care for it, since there are many different seafood dishes far more tasty than Perch.
6) Via Sploid's write-up of this Foursquare curiosity ... I laughed at how many people from Indiana have no idea what Lemon Rice Soup is. I have had that soup hundreds of times, because Detroit is pretty populous for Greeks and Arabs. And Detroit is the Arab capital of North America. And Greek and Arab food is very common to find around here ... there's at least one joint that serves such food on every major street throughout the metro Detroit area, it's that common, like as common as a Starbucks or McDonald's. And having lived here forever and a day, you come to find that both Greek and Arab cuisine are like first cousins for closeness. You'll find a lot of very similar offerings between them, stuff like Grape Leaves, which I love, are both claimed by each culture.
7) Catfish is most definitely correct for Arkansas. I fucking love Catfish. It's so unhealthy ... most bottom-feeders among seafood are, due to pollution, and the likelihood of high concentrations of Mercury within them. But whatever, southern US fried Catfish is the bomb. It's worth the risk!
8) Crab Cakes for Maryland is also on-point. I absolutely loved them when I visited Maryland for a month. Would order them from pretty much any sit-down restaurant ... they all had 'em on the menu. And I'd wash it down with America's best regional macro-beer, Yuengling, from Pennsylvania.
9) My buddy dadxer reports that Conch Fritters are pretty good. I wish I had tried some while I was down in Florida for another wedding. He claims Conch Fritters are mainly a southern Florida thing, but apparently they're the bomb all through the state.
10) I'm actually kind of surprised that Pierogies are listed for Ohio. Michigan and Wisconsin have big Polish-American populations ... Detroit has a sub-city called Hamtramck that is the Polishtown of the region. And I've had tons of Pierogies over the years, as my grandmother and her side of the family were Polish-American.
So yeah, there are some spot-on listings, and there are also some surprises and curiosities on this list.
Is there anything you noticed that was right-on, or all-the-way-wrong, or just WTF?